Going behind scenes with Worcester PD

Monday

Mar 25, 2013 at 6:00 AMMar 25, 2013 at 8:03 PM

Seeing what it takes to become a police officer — especially one in Worcester — is as easy as clicking on YouTube. Since the Worcester Police Department's recruit class started the Worcester Police Academy, department media specialist Kathleen A. Daly has been there with video equipment in hand. All of the videos go up on the Worcester police YouTube page.

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Seeing what it takes to become a police officer — especially one in Worcester — is as easy as clicking on YouTube.

Since the Worcester Police Department's recruit class started the Worcester Police Academy, department media specialist Kathleen A. Daly has been there with video equipment in hand. From class work to firearms training, Ms. Daly has chronicled the struggles, hard work and lessons learned by the recruits, which includes officers from some other area departments as well.

All of the videos go up on the Worcester police YouTube page and are promoted through the department's Facebook and Twitter pages. The footage turned into a program that aired on the city's government channel recently.

“When you see it, Worcester should be proud of these recruits,” said Ms. Daly, who has been with the Worcester Police Department for more than a year. “We started the project so those interested in becoming a police officer would see what it is like and what they will have to go through.”

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said the idea of videotaping the training was brought to him by Ms. Daly, a former Channel 3 news reporter in Worcester. Ms. Daly has already ramped up the department's use of Facebook and Twitter, adding what the chief called more accessibility to department information by the public and media outlets. Adding more transparency is beneficial to the department, the chief said.

This is the first time a recruit class had its training chronicled in a video format. Chief Gemme said the videos show the community how well trained officers are before they hit the streets. The recruits are set to graduate next month.

“It demonstrates what goes on in the police academy and I think the public has an interest,” Chief Gemme said. “The more we can tell the public about the training, the more beneficial it is.”

When Worcester police recruit Nicholas A. Riggieri, a 24-year-old from Worcester, was notified he was going to enter the academy, he began scouring the Internet to find out what his experience would be like. However, he didn't find much about the Worcester Police Academy.

“Worcester had kind of been a secret. I found information on the Massachusetts State Police and academies in Rhode Island and Connecticut,” he said. “The videos benefit the recruits coming on in the future, how to prepare and what to expect.”

A U.S. Army veteran who did a tour in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Mr. Riggieri said his family has watched the videos, and they have asked him what we he has done during training.

“If we really don't want to answer them, they can go online and look,” he said, with a little deadpan humor.

Academy Capt. John J. Ryder Jr. continually sends updates to the chiefs who have recruits in Worcester's academy. The updates include links to the videos.

At a recent meeting of the state Municipal Police Training Committee, the organization that sets the standards for police academies, Capt. Ryder was told how the other directors watch the videos online.

“I am getting a lot of positive feedback from other academy directors,” Capt. Ryder said. “Others want to use them (the videos) for orientations.”

Other police organizations are now asking the captain when Worcester is going to have another academy. The captain credited Ms. Daly for the buzz around the videos. He said she showed the recruits well.

“I liked her interviewing the recruits. None of that was staged,” Capt. Ryder said. “She followed us (the recruits) since day one so the community could follow our progress.”

Ms. Daly continues to think of other videos for the department's YouTube page. Videos of events or different divisions are already posted online.